NPD April 2018: Sony is King, God of War is $$$, PS4 Keeps Momentum

As a numbers nerd and gaming industry aficionado, reading the monthly NPD group market report is something I look forward to. Thankfully, the NPD April 2018 report is here!

The NPD group is a market research company that “help[s] retailers and manufacturers identify market trends to make smarter business decisions.” They basically track the sales and sales records for the gaming industry on a month to month basis. The NPD group breaks down the monthly report into easy to follow sections which help the layman casually read through. I would use these sales numbers during heated discussions of what console is better, and what game has sold the most, but now I read them because I’m genuinely interested on how the market is trending. It’s understandable why I’m referred to as an old soul from time to time.

NPD April 2018 has crowned Sony as the king!

Looking through the report tells the story of Sony completely taking over the month of April. If anyone thought otherwise, God of War was April’s best selling game. It doesn’t stop there for Sony. God of War has become the number one PlayStation exclusive in highest month dollar sales. It definitely deserves all the success its receiving.

In terms of hardware, Sony topped the chart for total hardware sales, with the special edition Leviathan Axe PlayStation 4 Pro achieving the best-selling hardware item title and helping boost total units sold and dollar sales. The PlayStation 4 also shattered two records for the month of April. The PlayStation 4 sold through the highest amount of units since the Nintendo Wii back in April 2009, and Sony raked in the highest April dollar sales since the Nintendo Wii back in April 2008. Long live the king (unless you’re a PC gamer)!

The NPD April 2018 report has other notable mentions. Ubisoft remains the top publisher, with Far Cry 5 leading the pack in total sales year to date. Ubisoft has also generated the highest revenue thus far. Headset sales have ballooned, growing 89% compared to last year. Thanks Fortnite! The PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 Wireless Controller (black) is now the all time best selling gamepad in dollar sales. Thanks shitty joystick rubbers! Everybody is spending more money on video games this year, 15% up from last year, sitting at $4.2 billion year to date. Thanks cool people making games and stuff!

Once a proud owner of a (now dead) semi-popular YouTube channel called GamersLeak, Ignacio (aka. Tazz) has set out on a journey to assemble the seven dragon balls to wish it back. Little did he know that it would come back with a different name! Tazz is back and he’s bringing the hot takes to our Lobby; did we mention that he’s little more ambitious now?